Business Commons^™

Effect Of Household Structure On Family-Friendly Benefit Utilization: Implications For Organizational Attraction And Workplace Withdrawal Behaviors Of Federal Government Employees, Sharyn J. Aufenanger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of household structure on utilization of family-friendly benefits in organizations, as well as the impact that family-friendly benefit utilization has on organizational attraction and workplace withdrawal behaviors among Federal government employees with children. Results showed that alternative work arrangements (e.g., compressed and flexible schedules) were popular among all employees who have children. Family-friendly benefit utilization rates were highest among single parent employees and lowest among traditional family employees. Single parent employees were more likely to use flexible schedules, part-time, compressed schedules, telework, and sick and annual leave. Dual income employees were more likely to use …

Easy: An Integrated Marketing Communications Program For The City Of New Orleans, Brett Rogers

Honors Theses

The following is an integrated marketing communications program for the city of New Orleans entitled "Easy." The paper outlines the history of the marketing of New Orleans, as well as the city's current goals. A detailed summary of the current market is provided with detailed demographics and beliefs held, as well as the segmentation variables that will be used within the "Easy" campaign to define the targeted audiences. The PRIZM NE segmentation system is used to better define the target markets of the campaign. Broadly defined, the two targeted segments of the campaign are: 1. younger families with children who …

Market Feasibility Studies: Hospitality Decision Making, Kim Mangino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The specific purpose of this paper was to create a teaching case, while analyzing data that was collected in an effort to determine whether or not the particular organization had achieved “excellence.” The resulting teaching case aims to be an additional resource in organizational behavior and mainstream business classes across the globe, as it provides an example of a highly successful company that is facing basic, fundamental organizational issues. Ideally, this research will provide readers with an avenue for scrutinizing major issues in the hospitality industry and potential solutions. The case is most appropriate for upper division undergraduates or graduate …

Determining Organization Excellence, Elliott Moseley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hotel and hospitality industry are flourishing at a greater and more rapid pace in the global context than ever before and with each new projected location there is a certain inevitable risk faced by investors in that property. The level of risk varies from one situation to the next and such potential owners/investors must be able to act and plan with confidence when investing in hotel real estate. This confidence can be accomplished with full understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of economic and market analyses within any particular location. One important tool that these individuals use is market …

Boulder City, Nevada Revenue Generating Analysis, Mayra A. Castro, Dolores P. Leyva, Arnetta M. Meagher, Wade Zimmerman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Boulder City (City) is unique in the State of Nevada as being a non-gaming city, maintaining a controlled growth ordinance, and steadfastly holding to its “small town” values and character. The City has been facing budgetary challenges as future expenditures are anticipated to continually exceed revenues if current services levels are maintained. Indeed, fiscal reviews indicate the City has been transferring contingency monies between funds to cover overages for the past several fiscal years. This “robbing Peter to pay Paul” methodology may offer a temporary solution to the shortage but may be detrimental as a long term solution.

Small Business Success: What Works And What Fails, Scott Decker

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Small Business Success: What You Need to Know. The owners of eight successful new businesses (successful defined as at least four years old and owner perceived) were interviewed, as well as the former owners of four unsuccessful businesses. The study showed that while planning can help your business, implementation is the fundamental component of small business success. This study was undergone to help create a link between what students learn in businesses classes, which is primary focused on working for a large company, and what people do in the entrepreneurship field.

An Analysis And Upgrade Of The Finance Department Operations In Lsu’S Student Government, Sabina Tungaraza

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Market And Entrepreneurial Orientations; And Their Impact On Export Performance: A Contingency Approach, Ayse Nilgun Kaya

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Globalization has promoted worldwide exporting levels to soar and to account for more than 10% of global activity. Technological advances in information and communication technologies, production methods, transportation, and international logistics have led to the increase in the exporting activity. However, these advances have also resulted in highly competitive and turbulent markets, and sophisticated and demanding customers, which in return has required exporting firms to be both entrepreneurial- and market-oriented.

A review of the market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and exporting literature revealed three gaps that the dissertation sought to fill. First, the relationship between market orientation and entrepreneurship was not …

Configuration Of Market Oriented Culture, Organizational Structure And Business Strategy Types And Their Performance Implications In Service Organizations, Omer Gokus

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Understanding how organizations in service sectors create and sustain a competitive advantage in today's highly dynamic environment is of interest to both researchers and managers. It has been suggested that competitive advantages are achieved either by placing a renewed emphasis on delivering superior quality services to customers or by seeking efficiency through standardized practices aiming at the lowest overall cost for superior performance. This dissertation investigates how these strategies are implemented to produce enhanced organizational performance by utilizing both market oriented culture and organizational structure simultaneously. The model and the hypotheses are tested with data collected from 151 service businesses. …

Developing A Software For Pharmaceutical Promotional Meeting Planning, Michele S. Brouse

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

“How wrong I was!” This admission from John H. Young (Young, 2006, p. 340) relates to his first exposure to pharmaceutical marketing more than 20 years ago. Young states he had been “sent to represent the medical group at a planning meeting of the launch of a new non-steroidal.” He felt competent he could hold his own at the meeting. At the planning meeting, however, as competition, inventories, market segments, inventories, formulation issues, opinion leader development, and public relations campaigns highlighted discussions, Young learned he would out of his depth. He needed to, Young determined, learn about marketing and production …

Building An Effective Marketing Model For Native American Casinos, Jeffery M. Pletcher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 1987 the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that, as sovereign political entities, federally recognized Native American tribal entities could operate gaming facilities free of state regulation. Soon after, Congress introduced the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which maps out the conditions under which Native American tribal entities are permitted to operate casinos and bingo parlors (Kilby, Fox, & Lucas, 2005). These terms and conditions for Native American casinos under IGRA regulation are Class II gaming methods. Class II gaming is defined as the game of chance commonly known as bingo (regardless of electronic, computer, or other technological aid) (Kilby …

Telling Our Story — Case Study Of The Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism Initiative, Chad Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This is a case study of the Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism initiative: planning began in 2005 and development began in 2008. This initiative resulted from the perceived need to create local employment, provide incentives to continue the culture and language of the Cherokee people, develop social and political good will in and outside of the Cherokee Nation area, enhance the brand of Cherokee Nation gaming and develop long term capacity in entertainment marketing. The opportunities identified included stimulating and reaching higher end Cherokee art and crafts market, encouraging development of more culturally authentic and fine Cherokee arts and craft, offering …

Performance Of Funds Of Hedge Funds, Hung Duong

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

The studies of hedge fund performance are hindered by the lack of quality returns data and the complicated nature of hedge fund returns. This study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, I reinvestigate the performance of hedge funds from different aspects. Second, I develop a new framework to evaluate fund of hedge funds managers' skills. Finally, I exam the performance persistence of funds of hedge funds by using various performance measures.

In the first study, I find that the annual survivorship and backfilled biases for funds of hedge funds are 0.66% and 0.21%, respectively, during the period 1994-2004. …

Forecasting Expeditionary Training For Company Grade Logistics Readiness Officers: A Delphi Study, Phillip Kirk Larson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the development of the Expeditionary Airman concept and the start of combat operations in the Global War on Terrorism, the Logistics Readiness Officer’s (LRO) duty environment has expanded beyond traditional garrison-based duties. This expansion can arguably incorporate current topics of joint operations, irregular warfare, and cultural intelligence. The intent of this study is to determine what training, if any, future company grade LROs will require on these three topics. The research uses Delphi methodology, utilizing an expert panel of twelve LROs with experience in joint operations within a deployed environment, and interactions with foreign nationals. The study applies two …

Position Characteristics And Their Relationship To Selection For Promotion, Juan A. Kays

Theses and Dissertations

It is clear that job characteristics are key selection criteria for upward mobility. However, there are questions as to what types of position details facilitate individual objective success within an organization like the United States Air Force that relies solely on an internal labor market. While it is an individual responsibility to develop an employment plan, there are particular duties that are more desirable for continuation. This thesis looked at the professional records of a sample of officers to assess what position characteristics led to more advancement opportunities. It examined what duty experiences fared well for one measure of career …

Assessment Of The Current Cultural Awareness And Training For The Air Force Contingency Contracting Officer, Reza A. Grigorian

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the current cultural awareness of contracting officers and the effectiveness of cross-cultural training provided to contracting officers through the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), and their monthly training at the base level. Current training in culture is fairly limited - only 2 days of the 9 day course in contingency contracting is dedicated to cultural training. Nevertheless, a comparison of means of 38 students before and after the DAU CON 234 course showed a statistically significant increase in Cultural Intelligence (CQ) on the cognitive and behavioral dimensions, but not on the motivational dimension. In addition, more experienced contracting …

Strategies For Minimizing Monetary Loss In The Department Of Defense Budget Through Use Of Financial Derivatives, Michael T. Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine whether it would be in the best interest of the Department of Defense to consider using currency hedging as a way to protect its budget from negative currency fluctuations in the US Dollar. Specifically, the use of futures and options contracts was examined. Overseas expenditure data was collected on the YEN and the EURO for Fiscal Years 2001 to 2007 and cross-referenced with the contract prices for the aforementioned hedges during the same period of time. Using an ex post facto analysis with the gathered data, the results show that hedging with …

An Empirical Investigation Of Factors Influencing Knowledge Management System Success, John F. Whitfield Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge has been viewed as a critical component for organizations. Consequently, organizations implement Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) to seek competitive advantages, but they may encounter mixed results. This research draws on previous information system and knowledge management system success-related literature and selects eight factors that are believed to be critical for the successful implementation of a KMS. These factors were derived through a literature search of current KMS success-related literature. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that could have a clear influence on the development and implementation of KMSs. The study presents the empirical examination of a …

Risk Propensity And Knowledge Sharing Intentions Of Individuals In A Downsized Organization, Ward G. Willis

Theses and Dissertations

Downsizing can be a traumatic event for any organization. Using Affective Events Theory (AET), this study examined how the emotional reactions of employees to downsizing can impact organizational outcomes. It concludes that the use of downsizing activities decreases organizational commitment while increasing perceived psychological contract violation. Further, it shows that these constructs have a respective positive and negative relationship with knowledge sharing behavior. It also concludes that these relationships hold true not only for individuals most vulnerable to downsizing, but also for those who the organization would consider immune to such actions. These results suggest that organizational downsizing activities not …

Blending The Battlefield: An Analysis Of Using Private Military Companies To Support Military Operations In Iraq, Heather L. Gallup

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past fifteen years, the Department of Defense has experienced an increasing trend in the outsourcing and privatization of military operations. Key factors contributing to the growth include declines in military budgets, reductions in active duty end-strength, increases in operational deployments, advancements in weapon system technology, and evolutions in the nature of warfare. However, the continued escalation of incorporating Private Military Companies (PMCs) on the battlefield creates unique challenges. The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive research is to identify utilization rates, describe the types of roles being fulfilled, and synthesize the challenges of augmenting military manpower with civilian …

An Analysis Of Competencies For Managing Science And Technology Programs, Sidney W. Goehring

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to analyze competencies needed for successful program management of Research and Development (R&D) programs -- also known as Science and Technology (S&T) programs -- within the Department of Defense (DoD). Current competency models are in development for the DoD Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (AT&L) functional areas. Using an interim competency model developed for the Program Manager career field comprised of 36 technical competencies and 27 professional competencies, the research compares competencies' criticality scores rated by traditional acquisition program managers (PMs) with those rated by S&T program managers. In 42 out of 63 instances (67%), …

A Case-Based Exploration Of Task/Technology Fit In A Knowledge Management Context, Michael W. Moseley

Theses and Dissertations

Task/Technology Fit (TTF) posits that as the intersection of the task domain and the capabilities of an information system (IS) increases in magnitude, the performance gains experienced by user through use of the IS will be positively impacted. While rooted in the traditional IS literature, this research proposes that TTF be extended to incorporate additional factors unique to the context of Knowledge Management (KM). Based upon the findings of this research, it is reasonable to conclude that when employing the TTF model to determine KMS fitness, additional factors other than the task requirements and KMS capabilities should be considered. This …

Afmc Customer Satisfaction Study At The Air Logistics Centers, Kelly D. Kendall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine Air Force Material Command’s (AFMCs) external customer issues and satisfaction levels as measured and compared by Air Logistics Center. Specifically, this project sought to answer how AFMC’s Air Logistics Centers were performing based on survey criteria chosen by AFMC’s A4 Logistics division. This research was guided by a previous Graduate Research Project (GRP) effort, which sought to determine how customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives varied in the private and public sectors, and to determine an appropriate means of capturing and measuring this type of data for AFMC. The research question was answered …

Project Manager Personality As A Factor For Success, John D. Bedingfield

Theses and Dissertations

Much has been written regarding project success, and one of the factors contributing to project success is the role of the project manager. Furthermore, project success can be enhanced by selecting the best project manager, and by assigning project managers whose attributes best align with project type. We investigated the role of the project manager's personality on project success using the "Big Five" personality model. We surveyed United States Department of Defense project managers to determine specific "Big Five" personality traits which were more likely to positively predict project manager success. The findings indicate conscientiousness and openness to experience were …

An Ontology Centric Architecture For Mediating Interactions In Semantic Web-Based E-Commerce Environments, Manoj Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Information freely generated, widely distributed and openly interpreted is a rich source of creative energy in the digital age that we live in. As we move further into this irrevocable relationship with self-growing and actively proliferating information spaces, we are also finding ourselves overwhelmed, disheartened and powerless in the presence of so much information. We are at a point where, without domain familiarity or expert guidance, sifting through the copious volumes of information to find relevance quickly turns into a mundane task often requiring enormous patience. The realization of accomplishment soon turns into a matter of extensive cognitive load, serendipity …

Establishing The Human Firewall: Reducing An Individual's Vulnerability To Social Engineering Attacks, Jamison W. Scheeres

Theses and Dissertations

Hackers frequently use social engineering attacks to gain a foothold into a target network. This type of attack is a tremendous challenge to defend against, as the weakness lies in the human users, not in the technology. Thus far, methods for dealing with this threat have included establishing better security policies and educating users on the threat that exists. Existing techniques aren’t working as evidenced by the fact that auditing agencies consider it a given that will be able to gain access via social engineering. The purpose of this research is to propose a better method of reducing an individual’s …

Does Shareholder-Sponsored Corporate Governance Proposal Matter? The Case Of Executive Compensation, Xu Wang

Accounting Dissertations - Archive

This study investigates the role of shareholder-sponsored corporate governance proposals in monitoring top management compensation. In particular, I test whether theories of agency costs, corporate governance, and optimal contracting can explain why shareholders submit executive-pay proposals, and examine the economic consequences of these shareholder proposals for the targeted firms. I find that firms are more likely to receive performance-oriented shareholder executive-pay proposals when the firms have higher agency costs, stronger shareholder rights, or higher unexpected executive compensation. Shareholder executive-pay proposals gain more voting support from shareholders if the proposals are performance-oriented (than non-performance-oriented), sponsored by pension or union funds (than …

Role Of The Facilities Management In Improving Business Performance, Andin Halimi

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Commercial Video Game Playing: A Comparison Of Skills And Abilities For The Predator Uav, Johnny E. Triplett

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are operated by pilots and navigators experienced with manned combat aircraft. With a projected increase in UAVs, more combat pilots will be needed to operate these aircraft. Yet, if the current operational tempo continues, the supply of combat pilots may not be able to meet the demand. Perhaps alternative pools of Air Force personnel could be considered for UAV duty to meet operational requirements. Because the Predator UAV is a software-driven aircraft, video game players (VGPs) already possess and use many skills that may be similar to those of Predator UAV pilots. A variety …

Creating An Agent Based Framework To Maximize Information Utility, John M. Pecarina

Theses and Dissertations

With increased reliance on communications to conduct military operations, information centric network management becomes vital. A Defense department study of information management for net-centric operations lists the need for tools for information triage (based on relevance, priority, and quality) to counter information overload, semi-automated mechanisms for assessment of quality and relevance of information, and advances to enhance cognition and information understanding in the context of missions [30]. Maximizing information utility to match mission objectives is a complex problem that requires a comprehensive solution in information classification, in scheduling, in resource allocation, and in QoS support. Of these research areas, the …